The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have struck the organ transplantation sector in a unique way with hospitals in Hyderabad reporting a huge spike in lung transplants.
From 2013 to 2019 — a period of six years — Telangana had recorded just 21 lung transplantations. However, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the numbers clocked in a single year was 20. What’s more, the State has already logged 43 lung transplantations this year (till August 10).
What has caused this surge? According to specialist doctors, COVID is to blame and Hyderabad is the new hub for lung transplants. Such is the demand that patients across India were airlifted to the city for the procedure, which was performed at three major corporate hospitals in the city.
To be eligible as a recipient, one has to register with Telangana government’s Jeevandan Cadaver Transplantation Programme.
While thousands of people across the country are in need of the transplantation, only affluent can afford the advanced medical procedure which costs anywhere between ₹25 lakh and ₹35 lakh. This excludes charges for investigations which range around ₹3 lakh. If the patient has to be airlifted from another State to Hyderabad, the cost of air transportation varies from ₹6 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
Exceptions were cases when State governments funded the procedure and bore the charges for airlifting patients. During the first and second peaks of COVID-19 pandemic, several patients from various States were brought to Hyderabad, including doctors and political leaders. However, in a more general sense, it is only patients loaded with cash who get a second chance to live.
Sharanya Kumar, consultant-Cardiothoracic Anasthesia and Critical Care at KIMS Hospitals, said lung transplantation is the last resort to save COVID patients whose lungs are completely damaged due to the coronavirus. Of the several methods, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) too is tried to save the patients.
“The waiting list of people in need of lung transplantation has shot up. Earlier, though lungs from a donor were available, a recipient who matches the blood group, height and weight, were not available all the time. Now, a matching recipient is ready if someone donates lungs,” Dr Kumar said.